mineral and rock

geology museums

Today the museum continuous to develop into a center for engaging visitor in developing a deeper understanding the dynamic world in which we live. our mineral , rock and fossil collection have the power to educate and inspire visitors in all of age.

mineral

Minerals are substance that are formed naturally in the earth . Minerals must be solid, inorganic, have a crystal structure, and happen naturally (by themselves). A mineral can be made of single chemical element or more usually a compound. There are over 4,000 types of known minerals. Two common minerals are quarzt and feldspar.Minerals are different from rock

mineral classification

Minerals are broadly classified in to two categories: Silicate and non-Silicate minerals.

Silicate Minerals
The most commonly found group of mineral in the Earth's crust is the silicate group. Almost all silicate minerals have silicon and oxygen as their primary components. Most silicate minerals are formed by the cooling of molten rocks. As the molten rocks come closer to the surface inside the Earth's crust, they start cooling very fast and combine with the most abundant element in the Earth's crust, silicon. Silicate minerals constitute approximately 90% of the Earth's crust. Fayalite (Fe₂SiO₄)Zircon (ZrSiO₄), Enstatite (MgSiO₃), Ferrosilite (FeSiO₃) are some examples of sulphate minerals.

Non-Silicate Minerals

• There is a complete range of non-silicate minerals. Some of these minerals are formed when there is cooling of magma, while some others are formed when water in them evaporates, or due to minerals decomposition. The non-silicates can be further classified in to different groups which are: elements, oxides, carbonates, sulphates, and many more which are not commonly found naturally. Most of these groups have their own sub-categories. But, let us discuss these groups first:

• :elements Many pure elements are found in the form of minerals in ores or mines. For example, uncombined carbon is often found in its pure state in the form of graphite or more rarely as diamond. Gold, silver and sulfur are other elements which are also found in its pure state. Even though these are pure elements they qualify to be known as minerals, but no chemical process is required on them further.
• oxide: When an ore is found in which one or more elements are combined with oxygen, it is an oxide mineral. These may have chemical formulas of type XO (MgO, ZnO, CuO, etc.), X₂O (Cu₂O), X₂O₃ (Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃), XO₂ (MnO₂, SnO₂) and XY₂O₄ (MgAl₂O₄, FeCr₂O₄). The oxide minerals, are mostly of metallic elements. Example: hematite, magnetite, cuprite. Silicates and oxides are the most common types of minerals in volcanoes, especially after an eruption.
• Carbonates: The carbonate type of minerals are formed when a single carbonate ion (CO₃^2-) reacts with a metal ion of complementing polarity. Example: siderite (FeCO₃), smithsonite (ZnCO₃), calcite (CaCO₃). Carbonate minerals are used in making cement and other bonding material.
• Sulphates: The mineral class which includes the sulfate ion (SO₄^2-) within its molecular structure, is categorized as sulphate mineral. Minerals like Gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) and Barite (BaSO₄) are examples of sulphate minerals.
• Organic Minerals: This class of minerals include biogenic substances, genesis or origin of which can be attributed to a geological processes. Organic minerals include all types of oxalates, mellitates, citrates, cyanates, acetates, formates, hydrocarbons, etc. Example of organic mineral includes whewellite, moolooite, mellite, fichtelite, carpathite, evenkite and abelsonite.

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